Not So Bad
by nerdgonewrongxx
Summary: Mai shows Zuko how to feed turtleducks, and is shoved in the water by a certain princess. Zuko saves her. One Shot. Maiko goodness.


Quack, Quack, Quack.

The turtleducks called excitedly, swimming their way towards the the wood of the dock, engulfing the bits of bread spread about the clear blue water. A small smile pulled the edges of her pale lips upward, the crumbs falling gently from her pale, delicate hand. She let her legs dangle over the edge of the dock, rather content. Irritated groans drew her from her reverie along with a 'Stupid Turtleducks', and she glanced towards the Fire Prince, attempting to muffle her giggling. Zuko was desperately trying to get the turtleducks to come eat, but they refused, skittering shyly away from him. Hearing Mai's laughter, her snapped his attention toward her coldly."What?"He asked bitterly, ignoring the blush that lit up Mai's porcelain-like face.

"You're feeding them wrong,"The girl replied, her laughter dieing down, though her smile brightened considerably. She moved toward him with practiced grace, sitting down gently next to him."You need to have smaller peices, or they won't eat it,"The female noble advised, crumpling a roll, and tossing the bits to the ducklings who quacked, devouring the meal with vigor. Zuko reluctantly did as Mai had instructed, and more of the creatures came to feast. It was then he realized how close they were, Mai was right by his side, her flawless skin touching him every so often due to her movements. A ruby blush spread to his cheeks and he gulped nervously, gold eyes adverting quickly to the water.

Azula watched the scene with amused eyes, leaning against the larger willow tree which Ty Lee was perched upon."Watch this,"She murmured to the acrobat, who giggled in reply, interested in seeing what Azula's plan was. Stealthily the princess approached the two, a devilish smirk upon her face. She crept behind Mai, her footsteps inaudible against the wood of the dock. Azula readied herself, pushing the unfortunate girl off the deck with surprising strength. Mai let out not a single scream of fright , before splashing into the water. Most would assume the Fire Princess had no idea her friend couldn't swim, but they would of been wrong.

An entertained look plastered her face as she stood, her arms folded haughtily across her chest. Without thinking, Zuko jumped in after Mai, who was frantically trying to stay afloat, although fruitlessly so. Taking a gasping breath, she sunk, the weight of her baggy robes dragging her down. Panic rose throughout her body, and she thrashed attempting to breath. An arm wrapped around her waist, and suddenly she was dragged forward, inhaling rapidly as she breached the surface. Zuko's arm still remained around her, keeping her up. Slowly the two made their way back ashore, for Zuko wasn't the greatest of swimmers, and it was rather hard to stay up with a frightened eleven year old tightly clinging to you.

Panting slightly he pulled himself ashore, after placing Mai upon the sand as well. Her shoulder length black hair was clinging to her frightened-looking face, her skin even whiter that usual. Hearing Azula's laughter, anger lit up his face. "Why did you that Azula!"He inquired irately, yelling at his younger sister. She put on an innocent act, pushing out her lower lip."I'm sorry, I didn't mean too,"Her eyes told a different tale however, the golden pools alight with laughter. This angered Zuko further, but he dismissed it, returning to the huddled figure beside him.

The twelve year old crouched down, looking at her, his anger vanished."Are you okay?"He asked, the blush returning to his face once more as he eyed her uneasily. Mai looked back at him, pale eyes wide."Fine,"She replied quietly, the posh pink color rising in her face again. Out of nowhere, she leapt up, encasing him in a hug."Thank you,"The eleven year old stated quietly, her grip not diminishing. Zuko was stunned, his eyes wide and his mouth agape like a koi. His arms didn't circle her like they wanted but remained stunned by his side.

Despite the fact he was still cold from the water, he suddenly felt a spark of heat spread through his body. In a stunned silence he looked down at Mai, ignoring the girlish giggling from the other two. Mai reluctantly broke contact, shyly glancing away. The younger females swooped down, pulling Mai away. She avoided eye contact with Zuko, disapearing behind the corner of the tall castle. The Prince set a glance towards the turtleducks, smiling softly."Maybe you're not that bad,"He stated to the creatures, who merely quacked in reply.

**AN: This is just a random little one-shot that came to be randomly. Mai is my favorite character, and I thought the Maiko/Zai pairing is just so cute. They two I think are a little ooc, but not too bad. This is my first Avatar fic, go easy on it please. I know the ending is really weird, but I was brain dead about how to end it.**

**P.S: This story has been revised, if you see any other flaws please inform me of them. Thank you. :D**


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